Frozen In Your Tracks

Picture by Caprice Miller

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  – Luke 6:45

It must have been REALLY cold on this day in order to freeze water like this in mid-stream.  What a great picture it made though.  It makes you wonder how long this water ran before it froze.  It almost seems like it could have been the work of a fairy tale character with special “freezing powers”.  I wonder if the character would be considered a hero or a villain.  A hero might have frozen the water they couldn’t get to the spout to turn the water off, so they just froze it to save time and more wasted water.  A villain may have frozen the water because they were just annoyed by the sound of running water or maybe wanted to stop the water supply of a village.  That’s just wrong!  These motives could tell us a little about the character of….the character.  Is the heart of the character good or evil?

What does your character say about you?  The verse above gives some insight to how we can recognize what kind of character a person has.  I wonder if the hero in the scenarios mentioned before ever had their character misjudged because of their actions or words in a heated moment.  Fear and anger can sometimes cause us to act out of our normal character.  Acting out of character could be enough to “freeze” those around you wondering “What in the world just happened!?”  In contrast, a person of a more “villainous character” doesn’t really worry about being misjudged.  They use a common practice of “freezing” those around them to maintain control.  Others are not sure what will happen or what will be said next.  Everyone else is in a constant state of “walking on eggshells” so that this person will not turn those freezing powers on them. 

We have all experienced times of frustration that pushes our buttons.  The difference is what the actions that occur from the button pushing say about the character of our hearts.  Do we feel a quick sense of remorse realizing that our actions have “frozen” someone in our lives?  Or have these actions and words become a common practice that is to be expected from us without remorse?  These questions will determine the next action that takes place – an apology that leads to a thawing and reconciliation or simply moving on deciding that others should just learn to stay out of your way….let them stay frozen. 

The thought that should really freeze us all in our tracks is something that Jesus warns us about in the following verse.  He expands on the message of what is stored in our hearts and warns us of the consequences: 

“³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -  Matthew 12: 35-37

Our words and actions are powerful and can be used to build others up or tear them down…freeze them.  Sure we can find ways to justify why a person may have needed to be “frozen”. But what we choose ourselves makes a difference in the lives of others. It also reveals what is truly in our hearts. 

Take a moment to rewind your mind and reflect on the words and actions of the past days.  What do they say about what’s stored in your heart?  Does it freeze you in your tracks to think you might have to answer for those words and actions?  If so, ask God to clean your heart and replace what is there with His goodness.  The result will be an overflowing of His love from a grateful heart.